The Half-Built Home

About the Book

Lebon Dominique is a married man, who wakes up one day and wonders how in the world he ended up cheating on his wife. When did he lose his faith in marriage? When, over the course of his thirty-three years, did he lose his faith in God? Turning back seems impossible, until his sister announces she’s getting married in the family’s home country of Haiti, in Le Cap. It’s the perfect opportunity for Lebon to clear his head. The only problem is that nothing is clear in Haiti.

The day after his sister’s wedding, Le Cap explodes in violent uprising. Someone has to pay, and the authorities wish it could be Cergo—a half-crazed witch doctor whose rage incites the unrest to grow. Lebon does his best to lay low. He has been spending a lot of time with Simone, a young woman employed to watch over Lebon during his time on home soil.

Lebon develops a fondness for Simone, but has no idea that Cergo has intentions to make her his wife. Lebon’s sought-after clarity is suffocated by his newfound feelings for Simone and the violence of a country in uproar. He has become a target for an angry witch-doctor. Yet, in the midst of turmoil, Lebon finds unexpected enlightenment on the Haitian beach, thanks to an unlikely source.

About the Author

Morose Leonard has a master’s degree in creative writing from Manhattanville College and a master’s degree in English from Iona College. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, but he lived in Cap-Haitian, Haiti, until 1989. He currently resides in Rockland Country, New York, where he teaches English at Spring Valley High.